Comb binding

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Two spine sizes (the larger would be better on a book with several hundred sheets)

Spine capacity
Inches	Millimeters	Pages
3/16"	4mm	16
1/4"	6mm	25
5/16"	8mm	54
3/8"	10mm	55
7/16"	11mm	94
1/2"	12mm	85
9/16"	14mm	100
5/8"	16mm	125
3/4"	20mm	150
7/8"	22mm	175
1"	25mm	200
1 1/8"	28mm	250
1 1/4"	32mm	275
1 1/2"	38mm	325
1 3/4"	45mm	375
2"	50mm	425

Comb binding is one of many ways to bind pages together into a book. This method utilizes round plastic spines with 19 rings and a hole puncher that makes rectangular holes.

[edit] Binding process

To bind a document, the user first punches holes in the paper with a specialized hole puncher. Pages must be punched a few at a time with most of these machines. If hard covers are desired, they must be punched as well.

Then the user chooses a spine size that will match the document. Standard sizes are 3/16 inch (for 10 sheets of 20# paper) up to 2 inches (for 425 sheets). Spine lengths are generally 11 inches to match the length of letter-size paper.

The rings on the spine open and insert into the holes in the page, then rest against the body of the spine, resulting in a closure that can be opened again for making changes to the book.

[edit] Comparison with other punch binds

With this bind, the book lays flat but cannot be opened 360 degrees. For a book that can be opened such that the covers touch, a spine that does not have an obstructive body, such as a coil binding, is a better option.